Spanish king to Chavez: "Why don't you shut up?"

[WillyDaLegendarySnail^]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...111501455.html

Man, the Venezuelan dictator had this coming to him. During the Chilean summit, he started bad-mouthing the Spanish PM - and the Spanish king had enough of it. He just simply said in Chavez's face: "Por que no te callas?" ("Why don't you shut up?")

Just amazing. Just an FYI, this became a hit Youtube video overnight, and a hit ringtone that raked in over $2.2 mill in selling that, alone. And not to mention, Spaniards are joking over this incident. Priceless.

[Minerva]

Fisrt of all, I am completely against Chavez, but to be accurate even though he is acting as a dictator, he was elected democratically by the people.

I live in Spain, so as you can imagine, this is big news ever since the very moment it happened.

What happened was, Chavez started to call Aznar (the previous President) fascist. Our current President, Zapatero, was trying (because he was constantly interrupted by Chavez) to tell him that even though he was of a very different opinion from Aznar, there is something called "respect". Chavez refused to stop and continued his harangue.

Then, the Chief of the State (the King) told him to shut up. This famous sentence "Por que no te callas?!" has become as popular as "crazy frog".

My opinion:

As much as I hate Chavez, and agreeing that he should shut up because he acts as a dictator sometimes, the King didn't act very responsible.

Spain now is having diplomatic troubles, I wish you could have heard what Chavez has said after this incident.. completley shocking.

Spain has more than 300.000 spaniards living in Venezuela, not to mention the investments of Spaniards companies like Repsol or BBVA etc..

We'll see what happens after this "por que no te callas?!"

Who did a horrible job was the woman that was supposed to moderate the debate, and the king had this impulse.

Now, the debate is also if we should have monarchy. Some people say "oh.. he is human, he acted like we would have acated any of us" but then again, he is not like any of us. He has loads of privilegies and a different role.

I think the King did a great job in certain ocasions like when the "Golpe de Estado" ( I don't know what is called in English) but other than that.. I want a Republica.

[Dead_And_Gone]

Where it would be considered uncouth in the USA, may be considered
Machismo and praised in other ocuntries. Anyone?

I would LOVE for one of our politicians to tell Kennedy to STFU.

Chavez, in the even recent past, has asked for help from the US on
everything from outright handouts, medical aid, to police/special forces
assistance. We give it, and he turns right around and bites us on the butt.

SURE, a lot of that is political grand-standing, but let me tell you, it gets
OLD very quickly. He is a *)&*(, and if they elected him into office legally
and without counting dead people as voters, then they deserve him.

My inclination is to cut Venezuala off at the knees, no more handouts.
Let him squeal like a pig because the Mean Old USA abandonded him/them.

It is just funny that his brand of politics has attached someone that
didn't back down, and caused some headlines. I think it is poetic justice.

[Apache Warrior]

Being elected and then breaking the laws that brought you to power is no excuse. Hitler and Stalin did the same thing and Musharraf seems headed down the same road. I am not comparing Chavez or Musharraf to Hitler or Stalin. I am just using him as an example. If you let others run over you they will continue to do so and come to have even more contempt for you.
Apache

[Tuqui-tuqui]

Golpe de Estado = Coup d'Etat

====================

I'm peruvian and I am completely against everything Chavez stands for. Unfortunately, my country and the majority of south latin america depends on him for natural oil (sound familiar?). This man just tries to be a rebel but has no clue as to what he is rebelling against. He sides against the US by partnering with Iran (one of the reasons the south american open border treaty was simply not followed!) and speaks out against other nations as if his say actually had any influence. This petty man is simply looking to show, unfortunately someone is going to respond, not by words, but with action. Let's hope that moment does not drag other nations around him down.

[BlackArrow]

Being elected and then breaking the laws that brought you to power is no excuse. Hitler and Stalin did the same thing and Musharraf seems headed down the same road. I am not comparing Chavez or Musharraf to Hitler or Stalin. I am just using him as an example. If you let others run over you they will continue to do so and come to have even more contempt for you.
Apache

Actually Apache, these are the right comparisons. I lived in Venezuela for 3 years and my daughter still holds two passports. Few people know it, but Venezuela is the oldest democracy in the Western Hemisphere after the United States. The U.S. Congress gave the same medal it gave to George Washington to Simon Bolivar upon liberating Venezuela for finishing what General Washington began - the liberation of the hemisphere.

In terms of Chavez, this is a man who repeatedly tried to overthrow the democratically elected government while in the Army. He was imprisoned for it. He has never shown respect for a democratically elected government.

Yes he was elected - mainly by dividing the country and exploiting class differences by promising the world to the poor. Unfortunately, historic high oil prices have given him a limitless bank roll to fund wildly unsustainable programs essentially buying the vote of the less fortunate. Venezuela is a member of OPEC and one of the largest producers in the world.

Upon reaching office in his first term, Chavez began the systematic destruction of almost every democratic organ in Venezuela. He began nationalizing industry, rewriting history books in schools, dissolved the supreme court and replaced it with cronies, thousands of "wealthy" Venezuelans have lost their land and businesses just because they are not for Chavez.

This is not a democracy and this is not a man that deserves anyones admiration. Nobody deserves to be ruled this way, not even the naive poor that maybe getting a short term piece of candy and the joy of seeing the business class be decimated. The entire country is being set on a course of ruin, that is only thinly veiled by a morphine drip of oil.


This episode happened during a meeting of Democratically elected governments throughout the Americas. Once again Chavez was showing his contempt and lack of respect of what they stand for. Congrats to your PM for standing up for himself, Aznar and the Spanish people.

And to Rey Juan Carlos I say, thank god someone said what everyone else in the room wanted to say. Well played sir.

[Thrashdragon]

And to Rey Juan Carlos I say, thank god someone said what everyone else in the room wanted to say. Well played sir.

QFT.

You know, I'm an agnostic, but the fact that such a large percentage of the world's oil lies in the hands of unstable lunatics like this one makes me wonder if there is a God, and that He has a wicked sense of humor.

[-Bar]

He compared my President to the devil.

Pretend these are middle fingers.

[Minerva]

Being elected and then breaking the laws that brought you to power is no excuse. Hitler and Stalin did the same thing and Musharraf seems headed down the same road. I am not comparing Chavez or Musharraf to Hitler or Stalin. I am just using him as an example. If you let others run over you they will continue to do so and come to have even more contempt for you.
Apache

Yes you are right, and it is a good example.

[Minerva]

Being elected and then breaking the laws that brought you to power is no excuse. Hitler and Stalin did the same thing and Musharraf seems headed down the same road. I am not comparing Chavez or Musharraf to Hitler or Stalin. I am just using him as an example. If you let others run over you they will continue to do so and come to have even more contempt for you.
Apache

Actually Apache, these are the right comparisons. I lived in Venezuela for 3 years and my daughter still holds two passports. Few people know it, but Venezuela is the oldest democracy in the Western Hemisphere after the United States. The U.S. Congress gave the same medal it gave to George Washington to Simon Bolivar upon liberating Venezuela for finishing what General Washington began - the liberation of the hemisphere.

In terms of Chavez, this is a man who repeatedly tried to overthrow the democratically elected government while in the Army. He was imprisoned for it. He has never shown respect for a democratically elected government.

Yes he was elected - mainly by dividing the country and exploiting class differences by promising the world to the poor. Unfortunately, historic high oil prices have given him a limitless bank roll to fund wildly unsustainable programs essentially buying the vote of the less fortunate. Venezuela is a member of OPEC and one of the largest producers in the world.

Upon reaching office in his first term, Chavez began the systematic destruction of almost every democratic organ in Venezuela. He began nationalizing industry, rewriting history books in schools, dissolved the supreme court and replaced it with cronies, thousands of "wealthy" Venezuelans have lost their land and businesses just because they are not for Chavez.

This is not a democracy and this is not a man that deserves anyones admiration. Nobody deserves to be ruled this way, not even the naive poor that maybe getting a short term piece of candy and the joy of seeing the business class be decimated. The entire country is being set on a course of ruin, that is only thinly veiled by a morphine drip of oil.


This episode happened during a meeting of Democratically elected governments throughout the Americas. Once again Chavez was showing his contempt and lack of respect of what they stand for. Congrats to your PM for standing up for himself, Aznar and the Spanish people.

And to Rey Juan Carlos I say, thank god someone said what everyone else in the room wanted to say. Well played sir.

I agree with you BlackArrow. I am just concerned of what's going to happen now, the guy is crazy.

I think he said what everybody was wanting to say (like you mentioned before) but I am unsure if it was the smartest thing to do and what consequences we are going to have. Also, he had this idea that this meeting would help him to reenforce the "Yes" to his constitutional reform that wasn't going to succeed, but on the other hand, the words of the King have transformed this fictional aspiration of Chavez to be victorious in the referendum, at least for a certain time. This incident has empowered him against the Crown of Spain, using cheap vitriole and talking about what happened 500 years ago.

I hope I was able to express my point.

[BenKenobi]

I think regardless of the consequences that the King's gonna have from this event, that he has gained some respect from at least people in the US who are getting sick and tired of Chavez BS.

[paceman]

Being elected and then breaking the laws that brought you to power is no excuse. Hitler and Stalin did the same thing and Musharraf seems headed down the same road. I am not comparing Chavez or Musharraf to Hitler or Stalin. I am just using him as an example. If you let others run over you they will continue to do so and come to have even more contempt for you.
Apache

Actually Apache, these are the right comparisons. I lived in Venezuela for 3 years and my daughter still holds two passports. Few people know it, but Venezuela is the oldest democracy in the Western Hemisphere after the United States. The U.S. Congress gave the same medal it gave to George Washington to Simon Bolivar upon liberating Venezuela for finishing what General Washington began - the liberation of the hemisphere.

In terms of Chavez, this is a man who repeatedly tried to overthrow the democratically elected government while in the Army. He was imprisoned for it. He has never shown respect for a democratically elected government.

Yes he was elected - mainly by dividing the country and exploiting class differences by promising the world to the poor. Unfortunately, historic high oil prices have given him a limitless bank roll to fund wildly unsustainable programs essentially buying the vote of the less fortunate. Venezuela is a member of OPEC and one of the largest producers in the world.

Upon reaching office in his first term, Chavez began the systematic destruction of almost every democratic organ in Venezuela. He began nationalizing industry, rewriting history books in schools, dissolved the supreme court and replaced it with cronies, thousands of "wealthy" Venezuelans have lost their land and businesses just because they are not for Chavez.

This is not a democracy and this is not a man that deserves anyones admiration. Nobody deserves to be ruled this way, not even the naive poor that maybe getting a short term piece of candy and the joy of seeing the business class be decimated. The entire country is being set on a course of ruin, that is only thinly veiled by a morphine drip of oil.


This episode happened during a meeting of Democratically elected governments throughout the Americas. Once again Chavez was showing his contempt and lack of respect of what they stand for. Congrats to your PM for standing up for himself, Aznar and the Spanish people.

And to Rey Juan Carlos I say, thank god someone said what everyone else in the room wanted to say. Well played sir.

I agree with you BlackArrow. I am just concerned of what's going to happen now, the guy is crazy.

I think he said what everybody was wanting to say (like you mentioned before) but I am unsure if it was the smartest thing to do and what consequences we are going to have. Also, he had this idea that this meeting would help him to reenforce the "Yes" to his constitutional reform that wasn't going to succeed, but on the other hand, the words of the King have transformed this fictional aspiration of Chavez to be victorious in the referendum, at least for a certain time. This incident has empowered him against the Crown of Spain, using cheap vitriole and talking about what happened 500 years ago.

I hope I was able to express my point.

Maybe if politicians/diplomats said what they meant instead of this incessant, BS, politically correct, crap the world could get on with its business.

[Dead_And_Gone]

The erradication of Anti-chavez groups will have long term ramifications.
Nationalization of industry is a good way to make anything extremely
top heavy and inefficient. If it weren't for the millions of gallons of oil,
his house of cards would have already tumbled down due to massive
breakdowns and inflation.

Take away the oil and what happens. He took away all the self-made
people that could and did run the infrastructure. He took away free
enterprise. He took away, basically, free speech. LOTS of money makes LOTS of power. Take from the rich, and give some of it to the poor, and you have the majority vote.

This isn't the only country that would go back to the stone age if the oil
suddenly became cheap, or disappeared. What would happen if the
middle eastern countries suddenly had no or severely reduced income
from oil? As it stands now, they import entire corporations to do things
that the normal Saudi wouldn't do, like change the oil on company trucks.
(Just a known example)

Basically, you can get away with extremely stupid policies, programs,
allotments, and benefits, if you have an overflowing coffer. Look at the
countries that did NOT have that kind of no brainer cash cow, like
Brazil. Great country, years of mismanagement in the government,
double digit inflation at times. They are paying for what was done 5-10-15
years ago, and still paying for it going forward.

[paceman]

It's like that in most of life. A LOT of money can cover a multitude of stupidity.

[Tuqui-tuqui]

I think regardless of the consequences that the King's gonna have from this event, that he has gained some respect from at least people in the US who are getting sick and tired of Chavez BS.

When Chavez called Bush "The Devil," Bush just shrugged it off and laughed about it. Rice also mentioned something about it being silly and unimportant... go figure!